Bitten by Budget

Ref.: ‘Spend & spend - that's the cure’ (February 2). The question is, who will, and who can spend? The wings of the middle class/salaried class have already been clipped by corona and now, the Budget. There is no relief in income tax, on the contrary, interest earned on PF contribution (of above Rs 2.5L) will now be taxed. Senior citizens have been thrown into the frying pan! So, at the end of the day, who is in a position to spend? The Government of course, and they are spending our money! Another disturbing news is the proposed sale of two PSU banks which means, the salaried/middle class will be exposed to the risks posed by private sector banks. You could have done better, Madame Finance Minister. The cure is worse than the malady! Melville X D'Souza